Back off Bend

Tehama County residents are pushing against a congressional proposal to turn public land in the Bend Area into a National Recreation Area.

Public sentiment at a Tuesday meeting of the Board of Supervisors was overwhelmingly negative, with only one speaker out of more than a dozen expressing full support for a bill drafted by Sen. Barbara Boxer.

It was enough that Chief Administrator Bill Goodwin, who has long represented the county in its negotiations with Boxer's office, and Rep. Wally Herger, RChico, reminded the board that it could decide to drop the project altogether at any point.

The board had not scheduled a vote Tuesday, however, and chose instead to allow Goodwin to continue negotiations.

The board is likely to hold a vote on whether or not to support Boxer's bill in the coming weeks. Until then, Goodwin said he will negotiate with her office to see if he can get the bill to include funding for a second road into the 17,600-acre Sacramento River Bend Area.

Residents have repeatedly complained that existing roads cannot accommodate traffic, and fear anything that would increase tourism would lead to more traffic, more crime and more litter.

But a new road may not reach the hearts of opponents. The audience Tuesday expressed a shared distrust toward the Bureau of Land Management, not only out of principle, but out of personal experience.

Some, like Grant Amen, said BLM had a history of backing out of grazing agreements, even when the agreement applied to land Amen had ceded to them.

Jerry Hemsted seconded those concerns. Changing BLM staff means a promise good with one field representative may not be good with the next, he said.

Their wariness was combined with fears that the additional attention would come with restrictions on land use.

?It's all a plot to get their hands on stuff that belongs to us, and that we enjoy,? Richard Cotton said.

Those fears miss the point, BLM Field Manager Steve Anderson said.

The bureau already manages the land and can impose restrictions on its use, with or without additional legislation.

?Once we buy the land, you don't necessarily always get to do what you want to do with the land,? he said.

In the BLM's defense, Anderson reminded the audience that, through voluntary agreements, it has established locally tens of thousands of acres of land it offers for public use.

One thing the bill would do would be to establish an advisory council, with most of the seats reserved for Tehama County residents.

Though the council would not have the power to override BLM decisions, it would grant the county more influence over existing BLM land than it has ever had before, Anderson said.

Several speakers maintained that had been tried before. Previous advisory groups have been established by the BLM only to be dismissed, they said.

Supervisor George Russell, meanwhile, said he still sees the creation of an NRA as a way to benefit an economically strained county. By giving the area national attention, the county could divert tourism dollars to much-needed public safety services.

?I can't imagine having this on the maps and guides and not having it help the economy,? he said.